Encounters of the Weird Kind
by Ultra Rodimus
Summary: This is the sequel to Unexpected Encounters. A sabotaged shuttle engine dumps Liam, Da'an, Sandoval, and Zo'or on Cybertron. What will happen? Read and review! Now COMPLETE!
1. Sabotage and Dimension Shift

Author's Note: Yes, I am still alive. I apologize for the delay, but it couldn't be helped. I had to write an essay for my English class, and I suck at writing essays. I also went up to Halifax to visit my cousins and see their new house, so I couldn't write while I was up there. Then there was Halloween. Yes, I went out trick-or-treating. And now I've finally gotten my hands on a computer so I can start typing this story.

This story is the sequel to Unexpected Encounters. I apologize for taking so long to start it, but I had my reasons (see above). The final chapter of this story will be an extended Author's Note containing a timeline for all of the fics in the Ultra Rodimus series, showing which order the fics belong in.

Disclaimer: Earth: Final Conflict and its characters do not belong to me. If they did I would be very rich, but, alas, I am not. Raven is the universal story name for Sandoval's skrill, if you're wondering where the name came from. The Transformers don't belong to me either. Ultra Rodimus, Falcon, several Autobots who may or may not appear in this story, and several humans who will inevitably show up are my own characters, so keep your paws to yourself. The only person I said could borrow Ultra Rodimus was Foxey, who wants to do a chapter of her Interviews With The Transformers story on him, but that chapter has yet to be written. Uhm... am I babbling again?

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 1: Sabotage and Dimension Shift**

The shuttle bay of the Taelon mother ship was quiet. It was late in the evening, nearly 11:30, and most of the humans on the ship were asleep. No shuttles were scheduled to arrive until the next morning, so the only sentient being in the bay was the Taelon dockmaster, and he wasn't noticing much of anything.

The Taelon, like the rest of his kind, was used to the presence of humans on board the ship, and conversed with many when they contacted him for their docking assignments. So he paid no attention to the human man who walked past his station, heading into the darkened bay. While it was very late for a human to be up and around, it wasn't unusual for someone to go in and do some maintenance work on one of the shuttles before it went out. For that reason, the Taelon assumed that the man was a maintenance worker, and ignored him.

But he was wrong.

The man was definitely not a maintenance worker. In fact, he did not even belong on the ship. He was not part of the ship's crew, nor was he one of the countless Volunteers and implants who served the Taelons. He hated the Taelons. He wanted them all dead and gone.

He was a member of the Resistance.

The man snuck a glance back at the Taelon, but the alien didn't even move. A small smile crossed the man's face. Then he turned his attention to his target, the shuttle that had been prepared to fly Da'an, the North American Companion, and Zo'or, the Synod leader, to one of the thousands of conferences, grand openings, and other social events the Taelons attended every year. The shuttle stood alone on its pad, cockpit open and ready.

All the better for him.

The Resistance agent climbed into the shuttle, weaving through the seats for the pilot and the passengers and kneeling before the engine access panel. Swiftly, he pried it loose and peered into the mass of components that was the shuttle's interdimensional drive system. He couldn't make heads nor tails of that tangle of conduits and circuitry, but, fortunately, he didn't have to. All he had to do was place a specially-built object in the right place, reseal the panel, and leave.

He reached into the pocket of his stolen equipment belt and pulled out the device. It didn't look like much, just a featureless cube of a black material. But its appearance was very deceiving. That device's function was to disrupt the drives, triggering a total systems failure and finally a powerful explosion. There would be no survivors.

With a cold grin, he reached into the panel and placed the object where it would do the most damage. Then he resealed the panel, patted it, and left.

As he entered the shuttle bay, Major Liam Kincaid, protector to the North American Companion, glanced at the dockmaster. The Taelon, one he didn't know by name, didn't even look up. It simply pointed in the direction of the shuttle. Liam thanked it and headed in that direction.

As he approached, Agent Ronald Sandoval, Zo'or's protector and lapdog, looked up at him. The two Taelons followed his gaze.

"It is about time you arrived," Zo'or growled at him.

Liam shot the Taelon a look. "Unlike you, we humans have a great deal to do in the morning before we are ready to work. We can't be rushed. If we are, the results are never pretty."

With that, he brushed past Zo'or and took the pilot's chair. The Taelon glared at him, but Da'an cut off whatever he was about to say by stepping into the shuttle and taking his seat.

"If you stand there and glare at the Major, we will most certainly be late," Da'an pointed out mildly. Zo'or stalked on board and sat down, clearly fuming.

As Sandoval passed Liam, the Major noted the expression on the agent's face, and that Sandoval was rubbing his skrill arm.

"What does Raven have to say about this?" Liam asked.

Ever since Ultra Rodimus, a being from another reality, had wound up in their universe, awakening Sandoval to the fact that his skrill was a sentient being, Raven had made his opinions known to his host at every opportunity. From what Liam had noticed, Raven could be quite the chatterbox, and Liam was privately glad that he didn't have a skrill.

"Raven hates mornings," Sandoval grumped.

"And he's complaining about it," Liam guessed.

"Loud and clear."

Liam winced in sympathy, waiting for Sandoval to take his seat. Once the other man had sat down, Liam started the preflight sequence, running through all of the standard checks before lifting off. Finally, the insect-shaped craft rose from its berth and flew out of the ship.

"Prepare to enter interdimensional," he called back out of habit. Then he sent the shuttle into interdimensional space.

At first, everything was fine. Then the shuttle rocked suddenly, and warnings appeared on the virtual glass in front of Liam. He fought the controls, trying to keep the shuttle on course.

"What is going on, Major?" Zo'or demanded, clinging to his chair.

"Damned if I know! Sandoval! Check the engines! I'm dropping out of interdimensional!"

The agent rose from his chair and was almost thrown right into the Major. The shuttle rocked alarmingly under his feet, and then the audio alarms came on, screaming dire warnings. Grabbing hold of chairs to keep his balance, Sandoval fought his way to the rear of the shuttle, where the access panel was located. Reaching it, he pried the panel off and looked inside, instantly spotting the offending object.

"We've been sabotaged!" he yelled, pulling out the box. Then he set it on the deck and let Raven vaporize it. But the damage had already been done.

Liam managed to force the ship back into real space, but the instant they emerged from interdimensional, it was clear that they were not where they should have been. Not even close.

The ground below was the uniform grey of metal, pitted and scarred. Half-melted buildings and the shattered arcs of highways dotted the landscape. Off to one side was the ruins of a city. There was no sunlight, only the cold reflected light of the stars. Three moons were visible in the dark sky.

"Where are we?" Sandoval asked.

"Don't know," Liam replied, looking at the sensor readings. "Some of the constellations look familiar, but the majority don't exist in Earth's sky. I can't get a bearing."

"How are the engines?"

"Shot to hell," was the response. Liam struggled with the controls, but the shuttle would not take anymore. The engines failed miserably. Black smoke billowed out into the atmosphere, which, from the readings, was thinner than Earth's but still breathable.

The ground curved closer.

"Brace for impact!" Liam yelled.

The ground rushed up to meet them.

**To be continued...**

There. One chapter down, and Primus knows how many to go. So now it's your turn. Send me reviews telling me what you think of this story so far. Good? Bad? Garbage? Click on that review button and tell me what you think!


	2. Chase

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. Trying to get the computer away from my sister is next to impossible. Even if you ask nicely she won't budge. So that's why this chapter is late. And why updates to this fic will probably be slower than my usual update speed.

Disclaimer: Earth: Final Conflict and its characters do not belong to me. Neither do most of the Transformers. Ultra Rodimus and Falcon are mine.

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 2: Chase**

Ultra Magnus paused in the corridor, wondering where his mate would be. He already knew that Ultra Rodimus wasn't in their shared quarters, but where he was, Magnus wasn't sure. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, reaching out with his thoughts.

(In Medbay, lover-mine,) was the response. (First Aid finally cornered me about running the usual battery of tests on my bird mode. So I'm in here being poked and prodded.)

((I'm actually surprised he waited this long to drag you in,)) Magnus responded.

(He didn't want to run the tests too soon after Murdoch, Magnus.) There was a strange tone in Ultra Rodimus's mind-voice. (The wounds were still too raw at that point for me to be able to sit through an examination. I would have lost it, and he knows that.)

((Oh. That makes sense.)) Magnus couldn't fully keep the wince out of his own thoughts. He understood why First Aid hadn't wanted to subject Ultra Rodimus to a full examination at an earlier date. Jennifer Murdoch had nearly succeeded in torturing Ultra Rodimus to death. The young Prime hadn't been able to go near the repair bay for weeks.

Magnus pushed away from the wall and headed toward the repair bay, First Aid's domain. Ever since Ratchet's death at Megatron's hands, First Aid had ruled the repair bay. The Protectobot medic was far more even-tempered than his predecessor had been, but no one escaped his clutches when he said it was time for a checkup. Rodimus Prime had actually been dragged in by the spoiler on more than one occasion, but Ultra Rodimus was more likely to show up before First Aid did. That was yet more evidence that Ultra Rodimus and his previous form were two completely different bots.

The doors slid open. He stepped inside, heading for the room First Aid had set up to study all of Ultra Rodimus's various alternate modes. The room was large enough to contain the massive coils of Ultra Rodimus's serpent mode, the wall-climbing abilities of his scorpion mode, the wingspan of his jet and starfighter modes, etc. There was even a fair-sized water tank for his shark mode. Now something new had been added.

A solid steel beam had been bent into a rectangular shape and welded to the deck. It served as a perch for the young Prime's bird mode. Ultra Rodimus was perched there, head turning to follow the movements of the medics.

His bird form was based on no specific species, but seemed to have taken traits from a number of types. His basic body shape hadn't changed, but parts had been added and changed. The head was more like an eagle's, with the long, heavy, curved beak, forward-set eyes, and powerful jaws. Feathers made of silver metal, thin as paper but impossible to bend or break, covered his head, neck, part of his chest, and his back. From his lower back sprouted a full set of tailfeathers, made of the same silver metal, this time strangely flexible, that trailed out behind him when he flew, more like the streaming tails of exotic tropical birds than the standard wedge or fan-shaped tail of a bird of prey. His arms had become clawed wings, spanning more than twice his own height from tip to tip. His legs had developed an extra joint, and his feet had become talons, like the feet of an eagle, complete with razor-sharp, curved claws.

When the door opened, Ultra Rodimus turned his head to look. Magnus smiled at him. His younger mate bobbed his head, fluffing out his feathers. They stood on end, making him look more than a little silly, then settled with a series of muted clicks. First Aid noticed the sound, then followed Ultra Rodimus's gaze.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Magnus commented.

"Not at all. I'm just trying to get him to say something."

(This beak makes talking out loud more than a little difficult,) Ultra Rodimus explained.

"He says it's not easy," Magnus relayed.

"I'm not that surprised. Just get him to talk."

"Roddy?"

"That'sss blackmail, you know," Ultra Rodimus said clearly. "I'd like to ssssee you trrrrying to sssay anything arrround a beak."

"It slurs the 's' and 'r' sounds," First Aid muttered, making a note.

"What have you found out about his shocking abilities?" Magnus asked. "No pun intended."

"He can draw the electricity out of the air and use it to throw one hell of a shock," Medic Alert responded. "He also stores a considerable amount of charge in his body. As far as I can tell, he has access to that charge in any of his modes. So try not to startle him the next time you two are in bed together, or you might wind up getting a very nasty zap."

Magnus snorted. "I'll remember that."

There was a faint blast, the sound of laser fire, and the familiar battle sirens began to scream through the city. The resident Autobots were so used to the sirens that they's taken to carrying their weapons with them everywhere, in subspace and on them. The city dissolved into organized chaos as everyone dropped what they were doing and headed outside.

Ultra Rodimus jumped off the perch, transformed in mid-leap, and hit the floor running. Magnus fell into step beside him, matching his stride to his mate's. The young leader reached for his comm.

"Blaster! What in Primus's name is going on?!" he yelled.

"The Decepticons are outside, testing our defences again," a voice responded.

"Who is this?"

"Eject. Blaster's kinda busy right now. The Decepticons are using more strange tactics. My guess is that Cyclonus thought this one up. Looks like they were trying for a sneak attack, but you know Galvatron."

"He shoots at anything with the Autobot insignia on it, whether or not it's in the plan. Yes, I know."

"Tends to negate the entire point of trying a sneak attack."

Ultra Rodimus laughed. "Yeah, but no one ever said Galvatron was very smart. I'm on my way."

Outside, the Autobots were doing an excellent job of keeping the Decepticons away from Iacon's gates. After Jennifer Murdoch's very messy death, Ultra Rodimus had decided to leave Earth for a while, and had returned to Iacon. Of course, the Decepticons had followed. The Autobots were keeping them at bay for the moment.

"Don't they ever learn?" Smokescreen grumbled, bracing his rifle on the city's walls and taking another shot.

"Not to my knowledge." Ultra Rodimus blew past, slid through the half open gates, and dove into the thick of the battle. "Let's kick tailgate!"

The battle was coming to its natural end, a victory for the Autobots, when a rumble from overhead caught everyone's attention. All eyes turned toward the dark sky of the homeworld, looking for the source.

Something small appeared out of what looked like a ripple in the air. It flew erratically for a few moments, then went into a steep dive, boiling black smoke. It crashed somewhere out of sight.

"Dirge!" Cyclonus yelled. "Go find whatever that was!"

The blue Decepticon transformed and shot toward the crash site. Ultra Rodimus swore in language fit to peel paint off metal and looked at his own troops. Jazz anticipated what he was going to say.

"I'm on it, Prime!" The black and white Autobot transformed and sped off at full throttle, racing after the Decepticon flier. The chase was on.

**To be continued...**

That's chapter two over with. What do you think so far? Review and let me know. And here are the first reviewer responses for this story:

**Kakwat: **There will be more of Liam farther along in this story. Hold your horses, ok? And there will be some Sandoval and Zo'or torture (not that kind!). I don't like either of them much. I'm thinking of siccing Sunstreaker on them.

**Gromia: **Too lazy, huh? Happens to me sometimes. Here's the next chapter for you, and there will be more in the future. Thanks for the compliments.

Until the next chapter!


	3. Recovery and Roadblock

Author's Note: Here is chapter 3 of this story. As always, I apologize for the delay, and hope you will be patient with me. My younger sister thinks the computer is her own personal property, pissing off everyone else who wants to use it, and my dad starts snapping if I start typing while he's watching TV, which is all damn night. So blame the delays on them, not me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Earth: Final Conflict or any of its characters. I already told you which characters are mine.

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 3: Recovery and Roadblock**

Liam Kincaid groaned as he pulled himself out of the wreckage of the shuttle. As soon as he was clear of the debris, he climbed to his feet and looked around.

The shuttle had crashed in the ruins of a city or group of buildings. None of them were in any shape to be used as a shelter. Most were only single walls and piles of rubble. Others had a partial ceiling, but they looked like they would fall at any moment.

A groan drew his attention back to the wreckage. He picked his way through the debris and lifted a piece of hull off of Sandoval. The agent crawled out from under it. Liam dropped the piece of hull and helped Sandoval to his feet.

"Can you stand?" he asked.

"I... think so."

Liam waited until Sandoval could stand on his own, then began pawing through the wreck until he found the two Taelons. Da'an, having been involved in a number of crashes, looked fairly composed. Zo'or, on the other hand, was wide-eyed and shaking. It was his first major crash. Liam grabbed Zo'or by the arm and hauled him to his feet. Zo'or resisted.

A whining sound made Liam scan the shuttle's debris, then yank on Zo'or's arm with renewed urgency. Da'an turned to help, but Liam waved him away. Tiring of the futile tug of war, Liam heaved the Taelon over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and scurried out of the debris.

"Find cover!" he yelled at Sandoval. "The engine is about to go!"

Sandoval and Da'an found cover behind a half-standing wall. Liam made it with Zo'or seconds before the ID engine core exploded, taking all of the shuttle's wreckage with it.

"That was close," Sandoval panted.

Liam put Zo'or down and whacked him across the face, not easy considering that Taelons were energy creatures. Zo'or flinched and snapped back to himself.

"Where are we?" Sandoval asked.

"I do not recognize this planet," Da'an admitted. "I have seen many worlds in my travels, but never one that was made of metal."

"I'm not sure I want to meet the creatures that built this place," Liam commented.

"And why not, Major?" Sandoval demanded.

Liam pointed to one of the more intact structures. The intact portion contained a door, and a hole in the upper part of the wall showed where the second floor had been.

"Because judging from the size of that entrance, they were more than thirty feet tall."

"Oh."

An engine snarled overhead. All eyes turned skyward in time to see an F-15 fighter jet roar past. It circled the crash site several times, then apparently spotted them and dove. About 90 feet above the ground, it suddenly changed shape, landing with a loud thud.

The jet now had arms and legs and a head. Upside-down jet wings adorned its legs. Its body was blue, the wings yellow. On its chest was the cockpit. There was an ominous purple symbol on the wings. Glowing crimson optics fixed on them, and the metal creature smiled coldly.

"Well, well, well," it said in a voice that was almost a monotone. "What do we have here? Four flesh creatures. This will be fun."

The creature took a step forward, extending its hand.

"Hey, Dirge!" an accented voice yelled.

"Dirge" started to turn. It looked to one side. But before it could say or do anything, a beam of yellow light hit it right in the face, sending it flipping backward. It smashed into the remains of another building, went right through it, and fell in a heap. The weakened structure had taken all it could stand, and it collapsed on top of the creature.

"Serves him right," the new voice commented, and a new creature stepped into view.

This one was black and white in color. From the look of it, it turned into a vehicle of some kind. Its chest was the front end of a car. In the center was a red mark shaped like a face. Its head was covered by a helmet. Two small horns or antennae rose from the top. Its eyes were covered by a blue visor. In its hand it held a gun.

"Major, why does that marking seem familiar?" Zo'or hissed.

Liam took a long look at it. Then he recognized it and stepped forward. The metal creature saw him and stopped.

"So Dirge was after you, was he? Glad I got here in time. You all right? I don't recognize you."

The other three stepped out of hiding. Sandoval suddenly winced and peeled back his sleeve. Raven was glowing brilliantly. The agent began the long process of calming the skrill. The metal creature's eyes fixed on the glowing skrill, and it went stiff in what Liam interpreted as surprise. Then it pulled out a device and began talking into it, speaking a language Liam had heard from the visitors to their dimension.

"Who are you and where are we?" Da'an asked.

The creature, no, the Autobot, turned to him. "My name is Jazz. You're on Cybertron."

Ultra Rodimus was forcing his way through the Decepticon ranks back to Autobot lines when he received Jazz's transmission. Magnus, overhearing his thoughts, sent surprise along their bond.

(Looks like we have somewhere to be,) Ultra Rodimus commented.

((Then let's go.))

"And just where do you think you're going?" A Sweep blocked his path.

Ultra Rodimus didn't even bother answering. His right arm came up, and Falcon discharged a powerful blast. The Sweep went flying, his entire upper body blown away by the blast. Then his path was clear, and he immediately transformed to his truck mode, pulling away. Magnus fell in behind him, and the Protectobots followed. Mirage jumped onto the roof of Ultra Rodimus's trailer and used his cloaking device to keep the Decepticons from seeing them. They got away from the battle unscathed.

When they reached Jazz's position, Ultra Rodimus didn't even bother transforming. He remained in his truck form. Magnus transformed.

"Long time no see," he commented, startling the four.

Liam stared. "Ultra Magnus?"

"In the armor. This is what I really look like. I'd love to chat, but there's a battle going on, and we have to get back to Iacon."

"Our shuttle is gone," Da'an pointed out.

"You won't need a shuttle," Jazz cut in, looking at Ultra Rodimus.

"What am I, a transit bus?" Ultra Rodimus edged closer and opened a door. "All aboard."

"Your voice sounds familiar," Da'an commented as he climbed into the cab.

"You'll see me once we get into the city."

Because Ultra Rodimus's truck mode was not part of his robot mode, he could get away with having a different style cab and not have a strange-looking robot form. His cab did not have to flat front Magnus's did. The engine was not under the seats. His cab also had a sleeper section, which human passengers made use of during long road trips.

Liam climbed into the driver's seat. Sandoval took the passenger seat. The two Taelons climbed into the sleeper. As soon as all four were in, the door closed, and the two humans put on the seatbelts. Ultra Rodimus's engine roared.

"Blaster, report."

"All of the Decepticons are on the ground, big guy."

"All of them?"

"Yeah. They're between you and the city."

The truck was silent for a moment. "Groove, Streetwise, First Aid, Blades, Mirage, get into my trailer."

The five muttered curiously, but obeyed. They climbed in and settled down. Magnus and Hot Spot lined up behind their leader, in single file.

Ultra Rodimus revved his engine. Smoke blasted from his exhausts. Liam watched the gearshift move on its own. Then they started moving.

They were heading straight for Iacon, but there was an army between them and the city. Ultra Rodimus continued to accelerate, the needle on his speedometer climbing past 90 km per hour. He shifted gears again and again, still increasing in speed. Liam stared at the dashboard for a long moment. Then he figured out what the truck was up to. He reached over and tightened Sandoval's seatbelt, then turned to the Taelons.

"Sit in the corners and hold on tight," he told them.

"What is going on, Major?" Sandoval demanded.

"There's an army between us and the city," Liam pointed out. "He's not gonna stop. He's going to plow right through."

Sandoval stared at him, then clutched the straps tightly. Liam tightened his own belt and gripped the steering wheel.

The Decepticons came into view.

Liam risked a glance at the speedometer. The truck was moving far faster than it should be able to. But then, he reasoned, it wasn't a normal truck.

The Decepticons heard the roaring of a stressed engine and started to turn around. It was already too late. Before they even saw him, Ultra Rodimus hit them.

The impact rattled his entire frame, but he didn't stop. He was moving far too fast. Hauling almost 100 tons of Autobots in his trailer, adding to that his own fifteen tons, he was moving on pure inertia. Nothing short of a head-on impact with the side of a mountain could stop him.

The Decepticons learned that the hard way.

They were smashed out of his way, or bulldozed down and crushed under him. Those he didn't crush to death were finished off by the car carrier and the fire truck following in his wake. His passengers, both Autobot and humanoid, held on for dear life. Then the Decepticons began to notice what was going on, and they got out of the way as fast as they could. Others couldn't make it.

Galvatron heard a roar approaching from behind. He spun around and caught a glimpse of his own reflection in Ultra Rodimus's windshield seconds before the Autobot leader hit him at full throttle. Still off balance from the spin, the hit threw Galvatron onto his back. Pain exploded through his body as the Autobot Prime ran right over him, heading into the city. The pain only got worse as first Ultra Magnus, then Hot Spot, right on their leader's rear bumper, drove over him. Then all three were past and inside the city gates. The few Autobots outside the city slid back in, and the massive gates shut with a loud bang.

The Decepticons, knowing that the battle was over, began collecting their dead and loading the wounded onto the ships. Most of the dead were crushed like tin foil, most with Ultra Rodimus's distinctive tire treads all over their bodies. Most of the wounded had only suffered glancing impacts, or had been thrown aside. As soon as they were able, they fled the battlefield.

**To be continued...**

And there is another chapter down. I've been wanting to do the Ultra Rodimus-running-down-Decepticons scene for a while, so now I took the opportunity and I did it. The 'Cons ain't gonna be back any time soon. And now, the reviewer responses:

**Kakwat: **Yes, he gets a road trip. A bit of a rough ride, though. It'd be like going over a really bad road with lots of potholes. And my sister is younger, but she refuses to get off the computer even after she's been on it for five hours. It's really irritating.

**Gromia: **I'd wondered about the sudden drop in your review time, but that explains it. No, you didn't say I'm lazy, I'm saying I am. And I'm a procrastinator. Yes, computer courses can be boring, but you learn a lot. I took two courses in high school, and that's where I learned how to really use a computer. I still can't make heads or tails out of computer code, but I don't think I'll ever have to.

Hear from you again next chapter!


	4. Surprise and Reunion

Author's Note: Here is the usual apology for this chapter being late. I had the day off yesterday, but I couldn't type because my idiot sister left two projects until the last minute and spent all of yesterday on the computer. So you can blame her for this delay.

Disclaimer: Previous disclaimers apply.

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 4: Surprise and Reunion**

The instant the huge truck shot through the gates, he hit the brakes, dumping speed. But he was still moving way too fast. The vehicle spun sideways, circling the entrance plaza until he slowed down and finally stopped. His air brakes hissed loudly.

Liam Kincaid gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. The ride had been insane. He privately decided that the truck had to be insane.

The seatbelts unhooked and slid back. The door opened.

"Okay, you can come out now."

Liam didn't move.

A brown-haired human approached, chuckling. "I think you scared the living daylights out of them, big guy." The man climbed up and began prying Liam's fingers off the wheel. "Let go, will you? I don't think he'll appreciate it if you damage the wheel."

Finally, Liam let go and climbed out. Sandoval got out the other side. The two Taelons followed, looking up at the massive complex curiously.

"Welcome to Iacon," Jazz told them.

The sound of Jazz's voice snapped Liam out of his daze, and he looked back at the truck. He stared at its pattern of red and blue stripes, a pattern that was somehow familiar. Then the trailer vanished, and the truck began to change shape. Within a few seconds, another robot, this one much taller than Jazz, stood there, hands on his hips, a grin on his face. Liam studied him curiously, then spotted the skrill on his right forearm.

"Ultra Rodimus?!" he blurted.

The Autobot chuckled. "The one and only. Been a while since I last saw you."

Da'an turned, looking up at the tall robot. "This is your true appearance?"

"Yep. This is me in my natural form. I told you I was big."

"That you did," Da'an acknowledged. "However, I had not thought that you meant you were quite this big."

Ultra Rodimus laughed. "Many people are surprised by my size, but they quickly learn not to underestimate me. And sorry about the rough ride. Those gates are the only way in or out of the city, so I didn't have much of a choice. Roadblocks don't mean much to someone as big as I am."

Another Autobot approached. "Ultra Rodimus, I was monitoring subspace phenomena when I recorded a strange spike in the readings."

"That was probably our shuttle coming out of interdimensional," Liam told him. "Either that, or it exploding."

"You came in a shuttle?" Magnus asked.

"Yes. The engines had been sabotaged. We got rid of the sabotage device before it detonated our engines, but it did enough damage to short out the system and drop us here."

"Then we'd better start looking for a way to get you four home." Ultra Rodimus turned to the blue and red bot. "Perceptor?"

"I will begin at once." The scientist hurried away.

"So that was Perceptor?" Sandoval asked, staring after the bot. "What was that on his shoulder?"

"Lens barrel. He transforms into a microscope. It also doubles as a very powerful light cannon, but he rarely uses it that way. He prefers a laser rifle." Ultra Rodimus looked up to where one of the other Autobots stood on top of the city gates. He yelled a question in the Autobot language. The response drew out a small smile.

"What?" Kup asked.

"The Decepticons are in full retreat. Galvatron took a nasty hit, and he's in pretty bad shape. I doubt we'll be seeing them again for a while yet."

"Who hit Galvatron?" Smokescreen asked. "We were too busy shooting at the other to focus on him."

"I did. Moving full throttle. Mowed him down like a bush under a weed-whacker."

"You mean you ran him over."

"Yep. And so did the two behind me. All three of us hit him."

There was a collective wince from the other Autobots.

"Now, let's get inside and start the process of cleaning up. Blaster, show our guests to the living area. Perceptor is already hard at work. Let's get started."

With their orders given, the Autobots scattered. Most were on damage control, checking to see how much damage had been done to the defences during the battle. The Technobots returned to the crash site to see if there was anything left of the shuttle. Sandoval went with them to help look. Liam decided to remain in the city. Da'an and Zo'or stayed close, and Zo'or kept his mouth shut for once. He'd been on the wrong end of Ultra Rodimus's formidable temper once. It was not an experience he wished to repeat.

**To be continued...**

This was short, I know. Sorry. I'm a little short on inspiration right now, and the show is no longer on TV here, so I can't watch it for new ideas. This may lead to more lag time between updates while I search for new ideas. If you have any ideas, feel free to share them. I need the help. And while I am trying to decide what to write in the next chapter, I'm thinking of starting another crossover and working on it and this one at the same time. And here are my reviewer responses:

**Kakwat: **If that's how you drive, I never want to be in the car with you behind the wheel. I get enough of that driving with my father, who has a bit of a heavy right foot and tends to drive like he's running the Daytona 500. And the revelation that the truck is Ultra Rodimus was quite startling. Be aware that Ultra Roddy has a bit of a crazy streak in him, and is not above doing things like that for the sheer hell of it.

**Gromia: **I too have had to sit through sessions of the question that just won't die, but I learn to ignore it. How's the course coming? And yes, there are some very flat Decepticons around. Ultra Rodimus is a very reckless driver when he thinks he can get away with it.

Thanks for the reviews! Now send more!


	5. Learning

Author's Note: I apologize for the delay in updates to this fic, but I am running a little short on ideas. Thank you to Kakwat for the ideas, but I just read a fic by another author, and I now have an idea for the trouble they will run into. It's trouble with a capital "Q". Hint hint. 

Disclaimer: All previous disclaimers apply. 

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 5: Learning**

Liam sat in Iacon's entrance plaza, watching the Autobots come and go. Da'an and Zo'or stayed with him, not wanting to stray too far for fear of getting lost or stepped on. 

"Hey," a voice said, and Liam looked up to see the brown-haired man who'd coaxed him out of Ultra Rodimus's cab. He wore a white uniform of some kind. The man joined them. "My name's Spike. Spike Witwicky." 

"Major Liam Kincaid," Liam told him, taking Spike's offered hand. "How long have you been with the Autobots?" 

"Since I was a teenager. My father Sparkplug and I worked on the oil rigs out in the Pacific. One day in 1984, the rig was attacked by giant robots marked with a purple symbol, led by a huge silver robot with a black cannon on its arm. His name was Megatron, and he was the Decepticon leader." 

"What happened?" Da'an asked, fixing his blue gaze on Spike. 

"They started stealing the oil and using it to make what they call energon. It's the stuff they use for fuel. It comes in liquid and energy form. The Decepticons were piling up stacks of energon cubes when the Autobots arrived. In the battle that followed, the rig was destroyed and then burned. The Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, saved the lives of my father and me." 

"I thought the leader was Ultra Rodimus," Liam commented, confused. 

"Ultra Rodimus is a fairly young leader. He's only been in power for about two years. His predecessor was Optimus Prime. He led for more than nine million years. Two years ago, there was a terrible battle at Autobot City on Earth. Optimus was killed, but he took Megatron with him. Only several hours later, we got word that Cybertron was being attacked by what looked like a giant planet with jaws. Two of the moons were devoured. So the Autobots who'd survived the battle at Autobot City, led by Ultra Magnus, decided to go to Cybertron to see if they could do anything to save their homeworld from the same fate." 

"Something tells me their plans went bad," Liam commented, and the two fascinated Taelons leaned forward to listen to the story. 

"The planet creature, a monster named Unicron, had found the dying Megatron and changed him into Galvatron. Galvatron and his minions came after the Autobots. They were chased off the planet. In space, the Decepticons continued to hound them. Hot Rod, Kup, and the Dinobots were separated from the rest. They crashed on a strange and twisted world. The others had to separate their shuttle, letting the Decepticons think they'd been killed. They crashed on a planet made of scrap metal, named, appropriately enough, the planet of junk. There they met the Junkions. But they were followed. Galvatron shot and destroyed Magnus, then stole the Matrix." 

"What is this Matrix?" Zo'or asked. 

"I'm not really sure. You'll have to ask Ultra Rodimus. Anyway, when Hot Rod and the others got to Junk, they made friends with the Junkions, who rebuilt Magnus and followed the Autobots back to Cybertron. Autobot and Decepticon fought side by side against Unicron, and many warriors lost their lives in that terrible battle. But the real battle was raging inside Unicron, where Galvatron and Hot Rod fought. Galvatron was choking Ho Rod when Hot Rod grabbed hold of the Matrix. He broke free from Galvatron, and the Matrix transformed him into Rodimus Prime." 

"And now where is Rodimus?" Da'an asked. 

"A few months after he became leader, Rodimus was fatally wounded by Galvatron and his minions. The Matrix and the souls contained inside changed him, saving his life. He was rebuilt as Ultra Rodimus." 

"And he remained as Ultra Rodimus?" Liam asked. 

"Yes." 

There was a flurry of running feet, and voices increased in volume on the far side of the courtyard. Spike looked over at the milling Autobots. 

"I wonder what's gotten them so worked up," he commented. 

"You can't tell? They're pretty loud," Liam pointed out. 

"They're speaking their own language. I don't understand Autobot. No human has ever mastered it." 

The Autobots milled about uncertainly. Liam frowned as he identified the emotion in their voices. 

"Spike?" 

"Yes?" 

"What are they afraid of?" 

Spike frowned thoughtfully. "I'm not sure." 

A moment later, Ultra Rodimus appeared, shouting for order. The Autobots switched back to English. 

"Now what is the problem here?" the young Prime demanded. 

A bright yellow Autobot Spike identified as Sunstreaker pointed skyward. All eyes followed his pointing finger. 

A fleet of strange corkscrew-shaped ships were rapidly dropping through Cybertron's thin atmosphere. None of them looked very friendly. Their presence felt hostile. 

Liam, Spike, and the two Taelons ran over to Ultra Rodimus, dodging tree-trunk-sized legs. Spike whacked striped armor to get Ultra Rodimus's attention. 

"Who are they?" he asked. 

Ultra Rodimus's eyes blazed with rage. "Quintessons!" 

**To be continued...**

Another short chapter. At least I'm getting somewhere. And now it's your turn to do the typing. Send me reviews if you want more chapters. And now, the reviewer responses: 

**Fenestrae: **So that's what your real screen name is. I'd wondered. I still don't want to be in a car you're driving, though. And yes, Liam will do his Kimera thing. Just hold your horses! 

**KMM1128: **I'm glad you like it. And I don't think I'm the only one who likes both fandoms. I'm just the only one who's dared to try and combine them. 

**Gromia: **I really have no clue what a spreadsheet is, but I'll pretend I do. Ultra Rodimus gives a whole new meaning to the term "reckless driver" on his best days. You really don't want to be on the same road with his, especially if he's in a hurry. 

Thank you for reviewing! Now review some more! 


	6. Threat

Author's Note: I apologize for the delay, but I have tests coming every which way, and another essay due in at some point. I'm hoping to make up for the delay by updating both of my active fics in one day, so I'll see what I can do. Thank you for not hunting me down and ripping my head off.

Disclaimer: Previous disclaimers apply.

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 6: Threat**

"What are Quintessons?" Liam asked.

The Autobot Prime looked down at them. "A most despised race in the galaxy. They were responsible for the creation of my entire race, and thousands of horrible things."

"You mean they built you?" Sandoval, who'd just joined them, cut in.

"Yes. The Autobots were built as slave robots, the Decepticons as military hardware. Millions were sold off-world. They turned Cybertron into a factory. Those of us they didn't sell they used for entertainment, torturing and killing hundreds of thousands, forcing them to kill each other for amusement."

"So why did they leave?"

"They made the mistake of giving us intelligence, the reason being that we would make better slaves if we understood what we were being told to do. But the plan backfired. We gained sentience. For a while, nothing changed. Then we got fed up of being tortured and sold and killed. We rebelled, driving the Quints off the planet. That was over one hundred million years ago. Now they try to regain control of us. But they never succeed." Ultra Rodimus began bellowing orders, and Autobots scattered in all directions. Then he looked at Spike. "Take them inside. If the Quints get hold of you, they'll take you for their sick experiments."

Spike nodded. He led the quartet inside. They joined a flow of other humans and aliens toward the underground shelters, where they could wait out the fighting.

"Major, did you notice that Falcon has one metal tendril?" Sandoval asked.

Liam frowned thoughtfully. He had noticed, but it hadn't registered. "Yes, I noticed. When we get out of here I'll ask Ultra Rodimus about that."

"Ask him about what?" Spike asked.

"About why Falcon has a replacement tentacle."

Spike sighed. "You don't have to ask him. I can tell you about that. About a year ago, a woman named Jennifer Murdoch captured him. Using a device she built, she turned him human. And she tortured him."

"Why?"

"Back in the 80's, she and her family were caught in the middle of a battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons. A 'Con named Starscream shot them. Her family died instantly, but her boyfriend, also hit, lived for three days before succumbing to his injuries. She swore that she would kill every Transformer for the death of her family and boyfriend. So she caught Ultra Rodimus."

"What about Falcon?"

"She'd rounded up a group of doctor wanna-be's and let them loose on him. His injuries were horrible. Skin cut off, the top of his skull cut away, entire organs and muscles cut out, both legs not only broken but smashed, and one of them cut Falcon's tentacle off. It was Perceptor who built the bio-mech limb."

"And what happened to the woman?" Zo'or asked.

"She's dead. After Ultra Rodimus escaped, she came after him, taking my father, my wife, and my son hostage. When she confronted the Autobots, she was distracted, and they escaped. She shot my father. He died." Spike's voice became choked. He had to pause for a long moment before continuing. "By that time, she'd pushed Ultra Rodimus way beyond his limit. He snapped. In one blow he killed her."

The two humans winced.

Something rumbled overhead. One of the other humans looked up. "It's starting."

Then the noise became too loud for speech. Everyone clumped together and waited for the fighting to end.

There was too much racket to be heard aloud, so Ultra Rodimus had resorted to using his internal comlink to relay orders. Three Quint ships had landed, and their swarms of Sharkticon soldiers were flooding out. The air was thick with smoke, and reeked of burning metal and mech fluids. The Quints were hiding in their ships, letting their minions do all of the work. The flying Autobots had brought another ship crashing down, engulfed in flames, and were in the process of making a second look like Swiss cheese. Then one scored a direct hit on the engines, and the ship exploded in flame.

Ultra Rodimus batted away a piece of debris and took aim at another enemy. The brainless Sharkticons were too stupid to take cover. They were falling by the hundreds, but there were thousands more still coming.

"There's too many!" Jazz yelled.

"We'll be overrun if we don't do something soon!" Bumblebee screamed.

The young Prime spat a curse and transformed to his dinosaur mode. Bracing his legs, he opened fire with all of the laser cannons and missile launchers he had. Autobots dodged the shots, getting as far away from the shock zone as their legs, wheels, and wings could take them. None of them wanted to be caught in the blast. Most of them had found cover before the first missiles hit.

The dark Cybertronian sky was bright with fire.

**To be continued...**

Another chapter down. That should hold you for a while, at least until I get the next chapter done. And now, the reviewer responses:

**Gromia: **Even if you did explain it, I wouldn't understand it. And the Quints want the same thing they always want: to regain control of the Transformers.

**Fenestrae: **You saw the movie? Good. And yeah, Quints. I wasn't using them enough, and the Decepticons need a break for serious repairs. So I had to find another villain.

Thank you for the reviews! Please send more!


	7. Under Siege

Author's Note: For new readers who're just starting to read my stories, the part in the previous chapter about Jennifer Murdoch is a reference to another of my stories, titled Burning Skies. You'll have to read it to understand the reference, but if you have a weak stomach or a low tolerance for violence, read Burning Skies with caution. Those of you who've read that story already know what I'm talking about.

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 7: Under Siege**

In the hidden shelter, humans and aliens clung to each other as the ground shook as if in an earthquake. The overhead lights flickered, threatening to go out at any second. Cries of fear echoed off the walls. A child cried loudly, clinging to its mother.

"What was that?!" Sandoval demanded.

Spike looked upward. "That was Ultra Rodimus discharging all of his launchers and heavy laser cannons at once. He's not limited to one alternate mode, like most of the other Autobots are. He has eight alternate modes that we know of, and probably a few we don't. All of them are maxed out for firepower."

"Sounds like overkill to me," Sandoval growled.

"You don't know what kinds of enemies he has to face. Sometimes even his entire arsenal isn't enough. Especially if the Decepticons bring Trypticon with them."

"Trypticon?" Liam repeated. "Who's that?"

"You've noticed that not all Transformers are the same size, right?"

"Ye-es..."

"There are some Transformers who are... different. There are three teams of Autobots who can combine into a gestalt, a huge Transformer. And then there are the cities. The city of Fortress Maximus is a huge Transformer, so huge he makes a gestalt look small. And Metroplex is even bigger. Trypticon is a Decepticon city-bot. He transforms into a giant purple and black dinosaur. Only Metroplex is a match for Trypticon. The only reason Trypticon hasn't been turned loose on Ultra Rodimus is because he's too slow to catch him."

Metal groaned somewhere nearby. Overhead, the sounds of fighting escalated. The crowd clumped together even more, as close as they could get to each other.

Liam turned slightly and looked at Spike. "Tell me, why do the Autobots hate the Quintessons so much? Other than the obvious reasons, I mean."

"The Quintessons are only interested in their own welfare, and in how much profit they can make. Kup once told me about what happened to one world the Quints visited. It was populated by a rather primitive race, primitive by Transformer standards, just about to invent the computer. The Quints sold them highly advanced technology. Within a few years the natives had eradicated themselves fighting over that technology and using it on each other. I read in Iacon's library that the planet is still highly radioactive. The Quints just watched and laughed. And that's not all. They capture sentient life-forms and use them in experiments, cutting them up while they're still alive, creating horrible bio-mechanical monsters, and much more, most of which I really don't want to know about. Ask Ultra Rodimus. He's seen their cruelty first-hand."

Sandoval looked sick. "I don't think I want to know any more."

"I don't blame you."

The ground heaved and shook like a terrified animal. The roar of the explosions drowned out the screams of the Sharkticons and the whine of ship engines. A flying Autobot flipped end-over-end into the remains of a ruined building, reappearing a moment later, crawling out of the rubble. The red glow of the newly ignited fires turned his armor black and purple.

When the noise and light died down, the Autobots began to emerge from cover. They looked around, surveying the scene.

There was a huge, smoking hole where most of the Sharkticons had been. But they weren't beaten. More Quint ships had landed, and their loads of Sharkticons were pouring out to join the ranks. The army was swelling in size again. And this time there were new beasts in the mix.

During his brief stay on Quintessa when he'd been Hot Rod, Ultra Rodimus had seen robots that transformed into crocodilian beasts, used as guard dogs. There were many of those croc-bots coming out of the ships. With them were monsters that looked like crosses between bears and dinosaurs, half machine and half organic. A group of Quints were herding creatures that looked like giant centipedes with teeth out of another ship.

"Those leggy things are borers," Ultra Rodimus warned. "They can chew right through metal. Don't let them get to the ground!"

Laser fire stabbed out from the Autobot lines. Several of the borers fell, blown apart, but the rest scuttled out of range. Flying Autobots took off to deal with them, but found themselves swarmed by vicious little beasts that resembled wasps crossed with snakes. They were forced to the ground, where other Autobots began to pick off the wasp-snakes. Ultra Rodimus bellowed in fury when the first borer began chewing a hole in the metal ground, using a combination of lasers and a rotating drill bit. Within minutes, it was underground, and the rest were following.

The Sharkticons began advancing, circling the still-smoking crater and charging toward the Autobots. A hail of laser fire met them. Sharkticons began to fall, but there were still too many.

"Prepare for assault!" Ultra Rodimus roared.

A rallying cry answered him. Some Autobots dropped their overheating guns and took up new weapons, laser swords and steel blades, even maces. Ultra Rodimus brought out his huge battleaxe and snapped down the visor of his battle helmet. Brandishing his axe, he exploded out of cover, howling his war cry at the top of his lungs. It was echoed by over three hundred other Autobots as they followed in his wake, charging fill-tilt at the Sharkticons.

The two lines met with a thunderous crash. Then the carnage began.

"Do you hear that?" Liam asked suddenly.

"Hear what?" another human asked.

"Sshh!" Spike hissed.

Complete silence fell. Then everyone heard it.

The sound was of a drill boring through metal, and the skitter of something with many legs moving through a tunnel. Nervous muttering began as the crowd began to edge away from the walls, trying to get away. Liam touched the wall, trying to pinpoint the direction the sound was coming from.

The wall shuddered under his hand. His eyes widened, and he backed away. "It's coming from over here!"

The shuddering intensified. The wall began to vibrate visibly, rattling loudly. Then the tip of a drill broke through, and the wall crumbled. A huge monster reared out of the tunnel.

It looked like a centipede with metal armor, with a mouth like a hagfish. It was circular and lined with six rows of sharp metal teeth. Its body was nearly as big around as one of Iacon's corridors, and every leg ended in a needle-sharp point. It had several upper limbs, not legs, each one ending in a drill. Bulging red optics circled the creature's mouth. A much smaller set of upper limbs, these ones ending in lasers, extended. Pinpoints of red light, laser sights, swept over the crowd. Then it noticed the single man backing away from it, and it swerved to follow. All of its lasers took direct aim.

Liam took another step back. A cluster of red dots had gathered on his chest. He could tell that the creature was preparing to attack. Then he saw its "arms" tense, and he scrambled back another few steps. But it was too late.

A dozen beams of red light stabbed out from its lasers. Liam cried out, instinctively throwing up his arms in an attempt to protect himself. A strange feeling passed through him. Then the world exploded in light.

**To be continued...**

I think I'm getting better at this. And here's another chapter. I'll see what I can do about another chapter of Cyber Stargate, for those of you who are also reading that story. Now for the reviewer responses:

**Gromia: **Yes, the Quints built the Transformers. The Autobots were built as consumer goods robots, and the Decepticons as military hardware. Thousands were sold. Others were tortured for amusement, or forced to fight in huge arenas, killing each other for entertainment. You can see why the Transformers got fed up with it. I don't blame them.

**Fenestrae: **Quints are bio-mech squids who "improved" themselves to the point where they lost the ability to reproduce. I hate them. They're only useful when I need a villain to wind up stomped into the ground, but to each her own, I guess. Is this a fast enough update for you?

Hear from you again next chapter!


	8. Realization and Victory

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay. I just finished three nasty exams, and my mother finally stopped nagging at me. Plus, I finally got my hands on a computer equipped with WordPerfect. So now I'm writing the next chapter for this story. Enjoy. 

I hate to tell you this, but now that exams are over, my update time will slow down even more. I'll be spending a lot of time at my grandfather's. And he does not have a computer. So this will probably be it for about a week, maybe longer. The next update probably won't be out until around Christmas. Sorry! 

Disclaimer: See previous chapters. 

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 8: Realization and Victory**

As the centipede-like borer fired, the crowd of humans and aliens screamed in terror and hunched down, covering their heads and waiting for the end. But after a moment, they realized that nothing had happened, and curiosity made them look up to find out why. What they saw stunned then into complete silence. 

The tall man Spike had called Major Kincaid was standing between them and the monster, his hands thrown up in an instinctive attempt to protect himself. The shots should have blown him apart. But he was unharmed. And his hands were glowing. 

Blinding white light swirled in his palms, stretching out to form a net between them. Caught in that net was a ball of energy. He'd caught the laser blasts. 

"What in the world?" someone whispered. 

"Shaquarava," Sandoval breathed, utterly shocked. Next to him, Zo'or was staring at Liam with a mixture of surprise and hate. Da'an merely watched calmly. 

Liam looked at the energy caught between his hands. Then he looked at the borers. Gritting his teeth, he pushed more energy into his shaquarava and fired the energy right back at the creatures. 

The borers were made for digging, not fighting. They had no protective shell. The blast went right through them. Explosions followed in its wake. Liam used his shaquarava to keep the blast from entering the shelter, so it had only one way to go: up and out. It raged down the tunnel until it reached the aboveground entrance. When it reached the surface, it did so in a spectacular fashion. A white-hot fireball exploded out of the tunnel, reducing everything caught in it to ashes. Quintessons were dead before they even knew what had hit them. The fireball also had the effect of melting the tunnel and sealing it with molten metal, which quickly cooled in Cybertron's thin atmosphere. 

Underground, Liam dissolved the shield and deactivated his shaquarava. A moment later, he collapsed from energy drain. Turning the blast back along its original path had taken a lot out of him. Spike leaped forward to catch him before he hit the ground. 

Sandoval stared at Liam, shocked. Now things he'd been puzzling over for months fell into place. He knew how Liam had been able to destroy that Jaridian replicant , and how Da'an had managed to rejoin the Commonality after being cut off from it. Many other things also fell into place. 

"He's not fully human," was all he could say. 

"Kimera!" Zo'or hissed. "He is Kimera!" He glared at Da'an. "You knew about this!" 

"Of course," Da'an answered calmly. "I knew since the day I first met him. He has never done us harm. He has always worked for the good of our two races." 

"His kind are murderers! Agent Sandoval, destroy him!" 

"The Kimera were anthropologists," Da'an corrected. "They had done nothing to us. It was fear that drove our people to slaughter them." He looked at Sandoval. "Would you kill your own child, Agent Sandoval?" 

The dark-haired implant stared at him. "What?!" 

Da'an indicated the unconscious hybrid. "He was conceived mere moments before Ha'gel was killed. His mother was Lieutenant Beckett. Who do you think was his human father?" 

"Ha'gel had taken my..." Sandoval's voice trailed off as the meaning of what Da'an was saying finally hit him. "You mean he's my son?" he breathed. 

"Yes." 

Sandoval lowered his skrill arm. He couldn't kill his own child, no matter what he was. Zo'or looked furious. 

"How many times has he saved your life, Zo'or?" Da'an asked suddenly, turning his gaze on the Synod leader. "You are in his debt. Now is your chance to repay it." 

Zo'or growled softly, but reluctantly agreed to spare Liam's life. 

Sandoval knelt beside Liam. "What happened?" 

"His use of his shaquarava drained him," Da'an explained. "He will need to rest and regain his strength." 

Spike took off his jacket and folded it, then slid it under Liam's head. Sandoval draped his own jacket over the hybrid, then took his hand and waited for the young man to wake up. 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 

"What in Primus's name was that?" Tailspin yelped as the white fireball erupted from the ground. 

"My guess is those borers going bye-bye," Springer quipped as he drove his sword into yet another Sharkticon. 

Ultra Rodimus grinned as he swung his massive axe. He was covered in Sharkticon blood from head to foot. Even his long braid dripped blood. He had a fairly good idea of what had caused that explosion. Pushing that to the back of his mind to be considered later, he let out a roar and charged at another knot of enemies. The other Autobots echoed the roar, and the lines surged forward again. They were actually gaining ground, and the Quints were running out of Sharkticons. A concerted effort by the sharpshooters had drastically thinned out the numbers of the flying pests, and the flying Autobots were back in the air. Every now and then a Quint ship would burst into flames and flying bits of metal. The tides were turning. 

The Quints eventually realized that they were becoming in danger of being overrun, and they decided to run. The Sharkticons flooded back into the ships, and the battered spacecraft began to lift off of Cybertron's smoking surface. They moved rather slowly at first, and a few more fell prey to the weapons fire coming from Iacon's walls. Finally, the last Quint ships vanished into the dark sky, and the Autobots stopped shooting. They began taking stock of the damage while others went out onto the battlefield to finish off any Sharkticons left alive. 

"First Aid, see to the wounded. Springer, you get a team together and start a damage analysis. I'm going to see how our visitors fared." Ultra Rodimus headed inside. 

Magnus grabbed his arm. "I'll check on them. You go get a bath before that stuff dries onto your armor." 

Ultra Rodimus was about to argue, but thought the better of it and nodded. He trotted off toward their quarters while Magnus headed for the entrance to the underground shelter, wondering what he would find inside. 

**To be continued...**

There's another chapter done. My fingers are hurting. I think this chapter went well, though. What do you think? Let me know by sending me some reviews! And here are some reviewer responses: 

**Gromia: **Does this answer your question? And yes, that is how you spell Kimera. 

**Fenestrae: **No, I didn't hurt Liam. Sandoval is in shock. Did this chapter answer your questions? 

Now send me some more reviews and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can! 


	9. Breakthrough

Author's Note: I really do apologize for the lengthy delay, but I've been facing a shortage of ideas for this fic. This show is only on one day a week, and I don't have cable. So I haven't been able to get any new ideas. 

Disclaimer: You get the idea. 

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 9: Breakthrough**

The first thing Magnus saw when he entered the underground shelter was the far wall. It was melted and resembled a lava flow. Some spots still glowed a dull red. Then his optics landed on the group of humans and Taelons near the melted wall. He counted heads and only found three of the four. 

Humans and aliens parted around him as he strode over to the group. "Where's Liam?" 

"He is here," Da'an responded, raising his head. The Taelon indicated the unconscious male. 

"Used his shaquarava, did he? That would explain that spectacular fireball we saw during the battle." 

Zo'or's head came up. "You knew about him?!" 

"Yes," Magnus answered calmly. "He told us when we were in your dimension. The Matrix told Ultra Rodimus that Liam wasn't human. So we knew about his parentage." 

The Synod leader gaped at him. 

Magnus bent down and lifted Liam off the floor. Da'an and Sandoval climbed into his palm. Zo'or was a bit slower and ended up walking. The big Autobot headed for the medical wing. 

"What happened to him?" A human doctor seemed to materialize out of nowhere. 

"Energy drain. He'll be all right after he gets some rest and a good meal. There room for him in here?" 

"Yes." The doctor pointed toward one of the treatment rooms. "Put him in there." 

Magnus nodded, lowering Liam onto the bed. The other three clustered around the bed. Zo'or muttered something under his breath, in the Taelon language. Magnus couldn't make out a word, but he knew the tone and shot Zo'or a glare that could strip the paint off a Decepticon's armor. 

"If you so much as look at him the wrong way, you'll regret it," Magnus growled, his voice dropping in pitch. "I can promise you that." 

Da'an blinked in surprise. "You really do not like Zo'or, do you?" 

"No, I don't. His attitude really rubs us the wrong way." 

Da'an nodded slightly and returned his attention back to Liam. Magnus glared Zo'or down for a moment longer, then rose and left, heading for the quarters he and his mate shared. 

Sandstorm looked up as he entered, humor dancing in his optics. "I think you mate needs a hand." 

"I know. He's swearing as much mentally as he is vocally. He certainly has an impressive vocabulary." 

The pacifist chuckled. "At least some of us are immune to his temper. Go help him out before his cursing makes the walls melt." 

The city commander snorted and walked into the bathing room. His mate was in the shower, swearing heatedly as he struggled to get all of the greenish-black Sharkticon blood off his armor and out of his hair. His long hair was difficult for him to handle on his own, especially when it was wet, and the blood had dried enough that it clung stubbornly to his armor. 

Chuckling, Magnus peered through the steam at his younger mate, and locked gazes with a pair of frustrated emerald eyes. "That bad?" 

Ultra Rodimus's response made it clear that it really was that bad. Magnus hadn't been aware that Ultra Rodimus knew that particular phrase. He heard something sizzle. 

"Would you please calm down?" Magnus stepped into the shower, taking the wire brush from his mate's hand. "Turn around." 

Ultra Rodimus obeyed. Magnus began cleaning the dark fluid off his leader's armor. Slowly, the younger bot relaxed. By the time he was mostly clean, he'd calmed down. 

(So Liam did use his shaquarava?) Ultra Rodimus mindsent. 

((He did. Drained himself doing it, too. He's in Medical, resting. The other three are with him. We'd better keep an eye on Zo'or, though.)) 

Falcon grumbled, discharging a hiccup of energy to get the blood and mech fluid off his head. Ultra Rodimus picked up a softer brush and began cleaning the skrill. Falcon glowed softly, purring audibly. 

"He hates being covered in goop just as much as you do," Magnus noted. "Like skrill, like host." 

Falcon shot him a mental raspberry. Ultra Rodimus glared. Magnus burst out laughing. 

With a noise of disgust, Ultra Rodimus turned his back to his mate and pointedly ignored him. Magnus grabbed for his dangling braid, undid the tie holding it together, and began taking the braid apart. Once it was out, he ran his fingers through fluid-caked silver hair, then began brushing it out with smooth, gentle strokes. As expected, Ultra Rodimus melted. 

((I didn't see Perceptor during the battle,)) Magnus commented suddenly. ((Did you?)) 

Ultra Rodimus radiated surprise, then thoughtfulness. (Cone to think of it, I didn't. Where the hell was he?) 

((I think it's time we find out.)) 

Once they were out of the shower, Ultra Rodimus contacted the scientist. "Where were you when the rest of us were chasing off the Quints?" 

"I was in my lab, running the equations for interdimensional engines I got from Da'an. I believe I can build an ID engine." 

Ultra Rodimus and Magnus exchanged glances. Then both of them headed for the lab. 

The rest of the army's command staff met them there. Most of them snuck glances at Ultra Rodimus's knee-length hair, which he hadn't yet rebraided. Ultra Rodimus ignored them, leaning over the table to study the numerous technical diagrams covering its surface. He was no engineer, but he knew the basics. 

"Explain." 

Perceptor obeyed. 

By the time he finished describing his findings and theories, most of the listeners had lost him. Only Ultra Rodimus seemed to have followed him, and was nodding thoughtfully. 

"Will it work?" 

The scientist hesitated. "The engine will be too unstable for regular use, and it must be attached to a craft with a very strong hull." 

"We can use a shuttle," Kup said. 

"The hull of a shuttle is too weak. It would rip apart during the transfer from normal space to ID space." 

The old warrior gaped at him. "But we don't have any ships that strong!" 

"Yes, we do," Magnus said slowly. 

"Oh? Where?" 

Ultra Rodimus's jaw tightened. "Me." 

**To be continued...**

There. Chapter nine is ready. As I already said, sorry for the delay. My idea tank was running on empty, and I had a lot on my mind lately. I started college taking a B.Sc, but I didn't do well at all, so I had to switch to a B.A. Now I have a totally different mess of classes to prepare for. Woe is me. And now, the reviewer responses: 

**Gromia: **I'm glad you like it. 

**Fenestrae: **Not when his adopted child is in danger, they don't. Da'an can be very blunt if he has to. And here's the update you pestered for. 

See you next time! 


	10. Homecoming

Author's Note: The idea bug bit me big time, so I decided to try and get another chapter out. That explains why this chapter is up so fast. It might end up being a bit short, but at least it's up.

Disclaimer: I've explained it a dozen times in a dozen different fics. I think you kinow how it works.

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Chapter 10: Homecoming**

"What?!" Jazz blurted.

Ultra Rodimus gripped the edges of the table. "The hull of my starfighter mode is made from the same alloy as my battle armor, only five times thicker. Perceptor hasn't found anything that can pierce my armor yet. My cockpit is large enough to carry four, if they don't mind being close. Perceptor's ID engine can be hooked up to my drive system. It only has to work long enough for two trips, there and back again."

"Is there any other alternative?" Blaster asked.

Perceptor shook his head. "We have no other spacecraft with a hull strong enough to survive the transition into interdimensional space. This is the only option. Ultra Rodimus is the only person who can get them home."

"Start building the engine," Ultra Rodimus ordered. The scientist nodded and turned to his work area.

"There has to be another way!" Kup protested, almost running to keep up with Ultra Rodimus's long stride. "This is too dangerous!"

"There is no other way, Kup. If there was I would gladly accept it. But there isn't. So it has to be this." The tone of Ultra Rodimus's voice announced that his decision was final.

It took Perceptor a week to build and test the engine. Once it was ready, Ultra Rodimus transformed to his starfighter mode and let them hook it up to his drives. First Aid was helping while Medic Alert took notes. The two Taelons, the human, and the Kimera halfbreed watched through the transparent titanium window.

"We're done," First Aid announced.

"It feels weird," Ultra Rodimus commented, transforming back to his robot mode. "A little heavier than I'm used to, but it won't be there for long." He looked at the four. "Ready to go?"

They nodded. He led the way to the landing field and transformed to his jet mode.

"My starfighter mode isn't built for in-atmosphere flight. I have to start with my jet form, then transform from there to starfighter." Ultra Rodimus opened his cockpit. "Sandoval, you and Zo'or take the back seat."

The black-haired human climbed onto Ultra Rodimus's right wing, and then into his cockpit. Zo'or followed. They ended up sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the seat. Liam looked back at them and chuckled, then took the pilot's seat. Da'an perched on his lap. They waited while the cockpit closed around them and Ultra Rodimus's engines roared to life.

In a few seconds, that deep roar became a high scream, and Ultra Rodimus taxied out onto the runway. He lined himself up carefully.

"Hold on!"

His engines kicked in, and he shot down the runway. His passengers were slammed back into their seats by the Gs he was pulling. Then he was off the runway and heading skyward, and the pressure eased.

"What was that?!" Zo'or demanded once he could breathe again.

Sandoval explained G-forces to him while Liam leaned sideways and peered down at Cybertron's dark surface, watching the bright spot that was Iacon shrink rapidly behind them. Then they were clear of Cybertron's atmosphere, and hurtling past Cybertron's closest moon. Ultra Rodimus transformed to his starfighter mode, his space drives kicking in.

"Here we go!"

He engaged the ID engine.

The familiar tunnel of ID space opened before them, but the ride wasn't smooth. It was more like flying through a hurricane. Turbulence shook Ultra Rodimus like a leaf caught in a tornado, but somehow he managed to stay on course. His passengers clung to the consoles for dear life.

"I'll be very glad when this ride is over," Sandoval muttered under his breath. In the back of his mind, Raven agreed wholeheartedly.

After what seemed like forever, the ID tunnel spit them out again. Ultra Rodimus chose to fly a lazy curve that took them up beneath the mothership, heading for the shuttle bay.

"Identify yourself!" came the demand over Ultra Rodimus's comm.

"It's us," Liam answered. "Open the bay doors."

"Uhm... yes sir."

Ultra Rodimus sidled up to the deck, hovering inches away while his passengers climbed out and slid down his wing. Liam helped the other two out while Da'an watched, then patted Ultra Rodimus's nosecone.

"Thanks for the ride."

"You're welcome. Now I have to get going. I'm getting a nasty reading from the ID engine, so I'd better get back now. It was nice seeing you again."

"Likewise. I just hope that, if we ever meet again, it will be under better circumstances."

"I agree. See you!"

"Bye!"

The four stood at one of the windows, watching the Autobot leader fly away from the ship. The Prime did one barrel roll, his way of waving goodbye. Liam waved back. Then Ultra Rodimus's engines flashed, and he vanished into an ID portal.

"Think we'll ever see him again?" Sandoval asked.

"Maybe someday," Liam answered. "Maybe someday."

**To be continued...**

This was the last real chapter of this story. Next will be the epilogue and then the timeline I promised. Hope you all enjoyed this fic, and decide to take a look at some of the other fics I've written. And here are the reviewer responses:

**Fenestrae: **You weren't really pestering, just reminding. And I'm used to it. I have two sisters who snarl and whine if I forget something. I'd been wanting to do a scene like the shower part for a while, so I worked it into the storyline. Worked kinda well, didn't it?

**Gromia: **I have no idea why he's like that, but my guess is that his position as leader of the Synod has gone to his head. He really needs some attitude adjustment. I wish the show would move back to the weekend so I can watch it instead of being on Monday night.

See you next chapter!


	11. Epilogue

Author's Note: Here it is: the end of the story. I know there are readers out there who want this story to continue, but I am flat out of ideas, and I must end it here. Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed this story. I love you all!

Disclaimer: You already know.

**Encounters of the Weird Kind**

**Epilogue**

Smoke was starting to curl up from Ultra Rodimus's engines as he dropped back into Cybertron's thin atmosphere and transformed to his jet mode. A group of Autobots waited on the landing pad. He landed neatly, then transformed back to starfighter so the ID engine could be removed. Perceptor promptly shut it down.

"It went well?" Kup asked.

"I didn't encounter any problems." Ultra Rodimus transformed to robot and stretched. "The engine started flashing warnings halfway through the transit home."

"But they are home safe."

"Yes."

"Now what?" Jazz asked as he joined them.

Ultra Rodimus looked up at Iacon's battered walls. "Now we begin repairs on our city, and we prepare for the next inevitable visitor, who ever they may be and wherever they may come from."

Someone groaned.

The young Prime laughed. "Like it or not, there will be more visitors from other dimensions, and it's inevitable that I will have to make a few more dimensional trips. After the first few times, I'd've thought you'd be used to it by now."

"Not likely," Air Raid grumbled.

Chuckling, the Autobots began to filter back into the city to begin repairs and prepare for the next visitor who would inevitably arrive. No one could help wondering who would show up next, and what kind of trouble they'd bring with them.

**Fin.**

And that is it. The last part of this to be posted is the promised timeline. So hold your horses; it'll be up in a few minutes. And now, the reviewer responses:

**Your Worshipfulness: **Thanks for the compliment. It shouldn't be hard to find out about the Transformers; there are countless fan sites all about them. And your stories are really good.

**Fenestrae:** All good things must come to an end, and this story is no exception. The timeline will be up next.

**Gromia: **That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it.

Hope to hear from you again in my next story! Bye!


	12. From the Author: Timeline

**From the Author**

**Series Timeline**

When I started writing this story, I promised I'd include a timeline listing all of the Ultra Rodimus series stories in the order in which they fall. Every time I write a new story, I'll tell you where it fits into this timeline, and I'll explain some things about earlier stories.

Now then, the series timeline runs as follows:

1) Transformation

2) A New Life

3) Years of Darkness

4) Cyber World

5) Of Lightsabers and Autobots

6) Unexpected Encounters

7) Burning Skies

8) Encounters of the Weird Kind

9) Cyber Stargate

Some stories, like 'Of Nietzscheans and Transformers' and 'Meeting Again' are nor part of the series, having Rodimus Prime as the Autobot leader, but they can be read as part of the series if you regard them as being pre-Ultra Rodimus. 'Cyber World' was written long before 'Transformation', so it fits in, but it gives a different version of certain events than 'Transformation' does. 'A New Life' was one of the first fics I ever wrote, when I was still testing the waters, so it is far more AU than the rest of the series, and I think it badly needs a rewrite. 'Cyber Stargate' is still a WIP (work in progress) and probably will be for a while yet. It's shaping up to be a real long-term project, and will be the longest fic I've ever written. From the amount of ideas I have for it, it might end up having more than 20 chapters.

So that's all the info I can think of right now. If there's more to be added, you'll probably find it in the Author's Notes of 'Cyber Stargate' and any new stories. As I said, 'CS' is still in progress, so I hope to hear from some of you there. See you 'round!

-Ultra Rodimus


End file.
